


fighting spirit

by kinderhook (mrs_nerimon)



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Haunted House, M/M, drunk Shane, it's a g-g-g-ghost!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 13:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12191283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_nerimon/pseuds/kinderhook
Summary: “Cracking open a cold one with the demons.”“Is that Natty Light? Dude, you can’t give frat boy beer to the spirits!”





	fighting spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Owyn, who continues to drag me into Buzzfeed shipper hell.

Ryan never stopped wondering why he got himself into situations like this.

He was a careful person. He looked both ways before crossing the street. He never ate before swimming. He didn’t go for runs at night.

And yet, somehow, he also spent a good amount of his time in places currently ranked in the top ten for paranormal occurrences.

_Why did he do this to himself?_

The McMillan Mansion was decaying in nearly every room. There were creaking floorboards sounding above them, and a constant breeze blowing through the house even with the doors shut. Ryan didn’t like being here one bit, and he _really_ didn’t like that he’d let Shane talk him out of bringing his holy water.

Shane, as always, was undeterred. He had set up his sleeping bag in the corner of the dusty room and was currently texting, as if he couldn’t hear the definite thumping above them.

Wind blew through the room, and Ryan tried to subtly inch his sleeping bag closer to his friend.

“I’m going to bed, dude.” Shane muttered, punctuating his statement with a yawn. “I’m exhausted from hiking around that yard.”

Ryan thought back to the shapes he’d _definitely_ seen moving around the mansion’s yard, and felt a bolt of fear run down his spine again.

“Let’s wait a little longer.” He shown his flashlight towards the closed door across from them, his eyes scanning for movement. “See what happens.”

A particularly loud thump shook the ceiling, and Ryan’s skittish hand shot the light towards it.

“You hear that?”

Shane shrugged.

“One of the ceiling boards probably fell in. It’s a crazy old house.”

He never got how Shane could just excuse this stuff. In his eyes, they had mountains of evidence saying these things were real, that they happened. But to Shane, it was all just coincidence. Sometimes Ryan thought a ghost could pick him up by his neck and throw him down the hall and Shane would make a quip about how old houses were just really windy.

“Are you serious?”

“Alright, fine.” Shane set his phone down, crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s talk to them again.

“No, no, we don’t need to-“

“Ghosties! Spirits!” Shane cupped his hands over his mouth, his singsongy voice echoing in the empty room. “Ryan and I are feeling a little bored!”

Ryan could have smacked him in the face.

“We’d love some more company!” Shane gave a devilish sort of smile, and a little wink towards Ryan. “In fact, I’d love to just invite you guys to come join us for a chat.”

Ryan had a feeling this was heading somewhere he wasn’t going to like.

Shane reached over to unzip his backpack, stuck a hand inside, and pulled out a six-pack of beer. He looked over triumphantly, as he popped the first can open and took a sip.

“Cracking open a cold one with the demons.”

“Is that Natty Light? Dude, you can’t give frat boy beer to the spirits!” Ryan couldn’t help the laughter that was bubbling out, his nerves mixing with the curious kind of comfortable frustration Shane always caused him.

“I’m just trying to get to know ‘em, okay?” Shane took another long gulp, before pulling off another can and holding it out to Ryan. “Just a couple of guys, having a brewski talking about… Polio? Is that what these guys died of?”

Ryan almost snorted.

“I think it was Spanish Flu.”

“This’ll work, Ryan. Just wait. After a few beers they’ll be nice and loose and ready to talk all about the spirit world and World War I, and other ghostly stuff.” He sucked down the rest of his drink, then aimed another wink towards the camera. “Just wait and see.”

* * *

Over an hour had passed, and no ghosts had shown up to drink with them. So, Shane found it only appropriate to finish the pack himself.

He had finished the first three in quick succession, but began to slow towards in the second half. It somehow tasted significantly worse than he remembering it being in college.

Ryan was greatly enjoying the whole endeavor. He’d nearly forgotten the shadowy figures in the yard and the footsteps upstairs as he listened to Shane ramble about why he couldn’t _stand_ some of their coworkers (Brent, it was mainly Brent).

That is, until the door of their room flew wide open.

Ryan jumped nearly a foot in the air, but Shane only glanced around in confusion.

“Wha-What’s that? Was that you?”

Ryan pointed his flashlight straight at the door, but there was nothing there. Only the wood hanging slightly off the hinges, rocking back and forth in a scene straight out of a horror movie.

“It’s a g-ghost!” Shane was on his feet in an instant, surprisingly nimble in his intoxicated state.

Ryan was so frozen in shock, that it took him a few seconds to process what the other man said.

“Don’t _mock_ me, you know that was weird-“

“Yeah!” Shane looked down at him with wide eyes, a different expression on his face. “A ghost!”

Ryan frowned.

“Are you being serious?”

“Let’s find it.” He reached down a hand and held it out to his friend. “Let’s get that ghost.”

“Okay,” Ryan rose to standing, clutching his camera in one white-knuckled hand and the flashlight in the other. “Just to be clear- you’re admitting that you think some thing paranormal-“

“Or demon!”

“-is going on here. A demon? For real?”

Shane shrugged exaggeratedly.

“We gotta see. We- Let’s find it.” He reached for Ryan again, this time grabbing his wrist and tugging him towards the door.

Part of Ryan was still paralyzed with fear over being attacked by an undead, otherworldly creature. But a larger part of him was so shocked that drunk Shane seemed to genuinely believe something _else_ was there, and he really wanted to see just how far he was willing to go.

The floor creaked below them as they crossed down, but the only other sound he could hear was the rhythm of their breathing. The thumping upstairs had ceased, and the house felt still and quiet.

“Whoa.” Shane glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “This is spooky.”

Ryan felt his whole body shake with laughter.

“I’m so glad I’m getting this on camera.”

Shane kept down the hall, holding his own light ahead of him like a sword.

“Ghosties?” He called. “You here? You here to party?”

Ryan burst out in another laugh. As if in answer,a laugh echoed back at them from the other end of the dark hall, and the two men froze in their tracks.

Shane reached out and grabbed his hand. He pushed the flashlight down towards the ground but Ryan didn’t mind, because Shane was squeezing his fingers tightly. His hand was sweaty and warm, and for just a second he didn’t feel terrified of whatever might be on the other end of the hall. He dropped the flashlight, listening to the metal clang as he gripped Shane's hand.

Shane swallowed loudly.

“Let’s get it.” He whispered, and suddenly his hand was gone and he was racing into the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> uh oh! how will our boys get out of this one?


End file.
